PORTRAIT PROCEDURE
PLEASE NOTE:
or a successful Portrait Painting, especially when photographic references may be used, it is VITAL for an artist to have the enriched experience and ability to work from life, particularly DRAW FROM LIFE. Such experience enables the artist to portray likeness with the most natural and life-like appearance which truly immortalizes the person, and creates the portrait far beyond its photographic references.
~ Igor V. Babailov, Hon. RAA
F
Prime Minister Brian Mulroney - official portrait sitting.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Samuel Alito.
In preparation for the official oil portrait.
Established Portrait Procedure
The Master Approach in Preparation for Portrait Painting
The initial meeting with the portrait subject usually takes about 2 - 2.5 hours and is scheduled at the artist’s Studio or the client’s location. The overall idea, size and location where the portrait would be displayed are discussed, and Babailov takes numerous photographs to be used as references.
During this meeting, Mr. Babailov also masterfully demonstrates his skill of DRAWING FROM LIFE, one of the MOST IMPORTANT steps in preparation for portrait painting, as he captures his portrait subject's perfect likeness fast and within only 30 minutes, in direct communication right in front of the sitter.
"If one can Draw from life, one can always Paint !"
~ Pietro Annigoni, Royal Portrait Painter
The Master Tradition of Portraiture
Igor Babailov, Hon. RAA is one of the very few portrait artists today who is exceptionally skilled in DRAWING from LIFE. Thus, his Portrait Painting Procedure resembles precisely those of the Great Masters of Portraiture, such as Ilya Repin and John Singer Sargent, because it begins with DRAWING his portrait subjects from LIFE first - a vital step in preparation for portrait paintings. Just like the Masters of the past, in these studies, Igor Babailov captures impeccable likeness, character and personality in a matter of minutes and seconds, regardless of the sitter's age. This requires the artist's independence from the camera and ability to DRAW a portrait in the timeless academic tradition (or entirely from life), which nowadays is a fundamental challenge for many portrait artists.
SAMPLES of Portrait Drawings from LIFE
Why Drawing from LIFE matters in preparation for a Portrait Painting
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Realistic DRAWING from LIFE is a rewarding task that helps to see a pro artist in action right on the spot, because it requires to capture the sitter's likeness in fine details and very fast;
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Drawing from life prompts artists to take on the challenge of responding to subtle changes in light, expressions, perspective, and use the knowledge of Human Anatomy to create a 3-D image on a 2-D surface, all in real time;
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It also triggers a more creative and challenging approach, rather than simply copying a ready-made image of a photograph;
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Since a drawing sketch is usually monochromatic, the focus is entirely on the accuracy of tonal values and precise proportions, leaving no room for errors (which, otherwise, may be camouflaged with bright colors or 'flying brushstrokes' in a colorful Painting sketch). So, in a monochromatic Drawing sketch, even a tiny mistake in likeness would be immediately visible to others;
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DRAWING from LIFE offers invaluable insight into the sitter's unique facial features, character, and personality through direct interaction, making it the essential foundation for truly capturing the subject’s spirit and soul;
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Experts say, “Drawing never fails, but often the artist does,” this is why most of today's portrait artists shy away from drawing their subjects from life (specially in front of their clients). However, it is Drawing from Life that has been recognized by the best portrait painters in art history, as a VITAL STEP in preparing for portrait painting.
Please also see:
What You Need To Know When Commissioning A Portrait Painting
Portraits, commissioned as a Surprise, and Posthumous Portraits
When a Portrait is to be completed entirely from photographic references, in the instances for posthumous portraits and those commissioned as a surprise, Mr. Babailov applies his invaluable knowledge of painting from life, acquired through his life-time experience and unsurpassed 16 years of formal academic fine art education (1974-1990) within the master-studios of the historically acclaimed Russian Academy of Arts (founded in 1757) that gave the world some of the greatest artists in art history, including Kramskoy, Repin, Serov and American artist, James McNeill Whistler.
Compositional studies
After the initial meeting, Mr. Babailov provides his portrait clients with original, artistic and hand-created compositional master-studies of the figure in the background, most suitable for the portrait. Once the decision on the composition is made, the artist professionally prepares the museum quality appropriate weight canvas to start painting the actual size portrait.
A 40%-50% deposit (the amount of deposit is determined by the size of the portrait) is required upon the signing of the Portrait Agreement and before the work begins.
Mr. Babailov travels extensively to the schedule and convenience of his portrait client’s location and caters to a distinguished professional clientele, in the United States, Canada and around the world.
A NOTE for Portrait Clients and their Interior Designers
Traditionally and historically, a great portrait painting stands on its own - it is more than a typical decorative item that fits a particular interior style, or caters to a color trend / fashion of a moment in time, because the great portrait painting is timeless and it passes onto children and their children and onto future generations in the family.
The great portrait painting also stands far beyond photography, because it is NOT a copy of a split second photographic moment of a physical appearance, but it captures the inner world of the person. Unlike photographs which visibly fade and deteriorate in only a few decades, it takes 450 years for oil paint to dry completely, making a portrait painting truly a Legacy portrait that lasts forever.
Fees
Igor Babailov's Fees are quoted in U.S. Dollars and available upon request at Info@Babailov.com
Prices are determined by the portrait size, number of people, complexity, and medium used.
Available traditional portrait mediums are: Oil on Canvas /Linen, Charcoal /Sepia /Graphite and Pastel.
Portraits of Men
Family and Children
Portraits of Women
